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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

After months of searching, I finally got my Radeon 9800 Pro working with my KT400 chipset. Here's a howto I wrote to make the process easier for everyone else!

Radeon 9600/9700/9800 w/ KT400 (P4X400) HOWTO

Note this is not an official document from ATI or anything like that. This document assumes that you are running a 2.4.x series kernel. If you are running kernel 2.5 or later, this probably won't work for you. This is simply my way of getting direct rendering working on Fedora Core 1. As far as I know, this process should work for other Linux distributions as well, YMMV. I spent months searching for a way to get my Radeon 9800 Pro working, and I finally found the answer on an old thread at the linuxquestions.org forum. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I normally hang out in #fedora on irc.freenode.net. My nickname is swa.

1. Download the latest Schneider Digital drivers.
Although some will tell you that the original ATI drivers are the best, I've had the most luck with Schneider Digital's drivers. You can download them from http://www.schneider-digital.de/html/download_ati.html. Just pick out the driver that matches your version of XFree86.

2. Extract the drivers and install the RPM.
Before you begin this step you must make absolutely sure that you have your kernel-source installed. Most distributions provide this in a single RPM. For Fedora users, you can find this rpm on the third disc or you can simply type "yum install kernel-source" if you are using Fedora Core 1. This driver will not work unless you install the kernel-source FIRST!

With that said, extract the ZIP file you just downloaded. You can do this by typing "unzip glx1_linux_x4.3.zip". Replace the filename with the file you actually downloaded.

Now that the files are extracted, you should see an rpm inside the extracted folder. You need to install the rpm by typing "rpm -Uvh --force fglrx.rpm", replacing fglrx.rpm with the name of the actual rpm. The driver will install and you'll notice that toward the end, it will automatically compile a driver for you.

3. Edit the agpgart_be.c file for your specific chipset.
Now that you have the driver installed, you need to find your exact chipset from the "lspci" command. Normally the chipset is at the top of the list. I have a VIA 8377 chipset. Here's an example of what your output would look like:

Notice the first line says "Host bridge" and then you see the chipset model number 8377. Make sure you write the model number down!

Next, you need to navigate to the /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod directory. Inside this directory you'll see a file called agpgart_be.c. You need to edit this file in order to make the driver load properly. Open agpgart_be.c and look for the number pertaining to your chipset. My number is 8377, and the section pertaining to that chipset is on line 6068. The P4X400 chipset can be found at about line 6076. In the section for your chipset, you'll see something similar to the following:via_generic_setup

Notice the last line in your section says "via_generic_setup". You need to change that line to say "via_kt400_chipset". There are many other instances of "via_generic_setup" in this file. Make sure you only change the line that pertains to your specific chipset! Once you've changed this line, save the file. Your section should now look something like this:

4. Run ./make.sh, ./make_install.sh and fglrxconfig
While you are still in the /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod directory, build your new module by typing "./make.sh". You should see something similar to the following output:

Your driver has now been successfully built. You need to install it next. Type "cd .." and then "./make_install.sh". Once your driver has successfully installed, make sure you run "fglrxconfig" which will reconfigure your XFree86 installation to use your freshly compiled module.

5. Load the fglrx.o driver
This step is easy. All you need to do is type "insmod fglrx". If you get any errors, chances are either the old version is still loaded or you have a kernel driver installed. Try typing "rmmod radeon" and "rmmod fglrx", then try to run the insmod command again. It will give you some output about the driver having a proprietary license, but that's normal and can be safely ignored.

6. Restart XFree86
Another simple step. You can either reboot your computer (the recommended method) or hit Ctrl + Alt + Backspace on your keyboard. Once you've restarted, open a console and type "glxinfo | grep direct". You should notice it says "direct rendering: Yes". If that's the case, you're all set! Happy gaming and good luck. If you ran into any trouble feel free to contact me on freenode and I'll try to help you further.

Error:
XFree86 drm includes at /lib/modules/2.4.21-144-athlon/build/include/../drivers/char/drm
do not fit this driver. This driver is designed to only work with X4.1.0 or higher. You
can match this by getting Linux kernel 2.4.8 or higher.

Since this is SuSE 9 and XFree 4.3 is installed there's something wrong. Is it possible that the checker is confused by something about the new Athlon kernel from SuSE and as a result thinks XFree is lower than 4.1? If so, is there a setting that I can change to force it to munch this kernel anyway?

I am a complete newbie with linux..... I have an Asus A7V8x, and a radeon 9500pro, and running fedora core 1. I have tried installing the card using both ati drivers and schneider digital drivers, and I'm having no luck with either. When I type in lspci to get my chipset details, it doesn't recognise the command, so I'm guessing its a via 8377. Can you take a look at the scree dump and advise me where I may be going wrong... I would appreciate it greatly.

1:fglrx-glc22 ########################################### [100%]
*** Trying to install a precompiled kernel module.
*** WARNING ***
Tailored kernel module for fglrx not present in your system.
You must go to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod subdir
and execute './make.sh' to build a fully customed kernel module.
Afterwards go to /lib/modules/fglrx and run './make_install.sh'
in order to install the module into your kernel's module repository.
(see readme.txt for more details.)

As of now you can still run your XServer in 2D, but hardware acclerated
OpenGL will not work and 2D graphics will lack performance.

Originally posted by nemesis636 After months of searching, I finally got my Radeon 9800 Pro working with my KT400 chipset. Here's a howto I wrote to make the process easier for everyone else!

Dude, that rocks!!

Finally(!) - the first thing I've seen that did it also for me! I have a Sapphire Radeon 9700 Pro and the ASUS A7N8X (Via KT400 chip) - I only had to use change the 'PCI_DEVICE_ID_NVIDIA_NFORCE2' entry to the same procedure call ('via_kt400_setup')... now (after a few month) I have almost 500 frames in fgl_glxgears!

i actually have the kt600 chipset, but i had noticed that when i tried to insmod agpgart verbosely, it claimed i had the kt400. after discovering that i wound up finding your post. when i started reading it i thought, now this guy is onto something.
another funny thing is that my host-bridge model number is apparently 3189. i took a shot in the dark and went with your model number since, as i said, my insmod was reporting kt400.

i spent about a week on this getting all sorts of advice in real time. thanks to you i didn't have to spend months

Originally posted by nemesis636 After months of searching, I finally got my Radeon 9800 Pro working with my KT400 chipset.

Hi - I did the same thing for my nForce2 board that also has the KT400 chip and my Radeon 9700 Pro.

It worked fine as long as I was using Fedora Core 1. Recently I installed Fedora Core 3 which has the x.org X Server instead of the XFree86 (actually, Fedora Core 2 already was using this)... can anyone tell me how to install the 3D acceleration in this environment??